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Alison's Food Garden

Gordon's Bay, Western Cape

About Alison

Gardening Experience: Intermediate

About Alison's Garden

Size:
# fed by garden:
Of all produce consumed, % from this garden: ?

My garden is already a bit of a fait accompli in terms of layout as I landscaped most of it last year. My challenge now is to plant the edibles in amongst what already exists and to try to make it all look esthetically beautiful.

Just to give you an idea, I have the following eclectic growth so far:
 

• A productive fig tree (in summer)
• A young lime tree not yet productive (about 1.5 meter high)
• 2 curry leaf trees
• A curry bush (grey leaves)
• 2 lemon grass bushes
• 2 rosemary bushes
• 1 buchu bush
• 1 tea tree (new and only 30cm high)
• 1 granadilla creeper
• 2 prolific chilli plants (in summer)
• Garlic chives, thyme, lemon thyme, sage, marjoram, parsley, coriander, mint, oregano, new summer basil plants plus some very happy tomato plants just itching to produce.

I have been trying to juggle some of this mix in amongst local indigenous shrubs but to keep my roses separate and surrounded with parsley and coriander. It makes for an interesting gardening experience.

I would now like to introduce various lettuces, some beetroot, and Chinese leafy veges (bak choi etc.) if possible into the +-2m x 2m area just vacated by the winter rocket and recently-harvested radish crop. If you think I am crazy and that I should take up another day job, please just say so!!!"

Update: 5 Jan 2009

My eclectic garden has developed, but not at all in an efficient way. Unfortunately, my trusty Zimbabwean gardener was in a mini-bus taxi accident in late November. This caused him to be off work for a couple of weeks, and then he decided to head home (to Zim) for the holidays where he will be until next week Monday. I have therefore been without his assistance during this important seeding/ planting/maintaining period that, with everything else on my plate, I am not able to manage fully on my own.

Having said all of that – I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and have learned a great deal thanks to you and the feedback and input from other participants especially Fiona Delport. Like Fiona I feel I want to sign on for another term, but am not sure that this would be the right time of the year to do this, so perhaps I should wait for next spring.

When I started the course, some veggies were already a fait accompli.

On the positive side:

Tomatoes were springing up all over and making flowers. They are now heavy with fruit that is beginning to ripen in the hot Cape sunshine.
Basil was just coming up but is now doing well and has been cut back for a second leafing
Radishes were coming to the end of their time and were harvested
Rocket had had its day, but I allowed it to go to seed, so now new plants are coming up
Chilli bush was flowering and is now producing madly
Lemon grass is flourishing
Thyme, marjoram, oregano, mint and parsley are doing great
Two curry trees are producing flowers, leaves and seeds. The latter I am harvesting and planting into little pots
Fig tree is producing lots of green figs, so preserve and jam is being made as we speak
I have successfully seeded red peppers (capsicum) and spanspek, (both from kitchen waste) but now lack the space to plant them out as they will need climbing areas. A plan will have to be made.

On the negative side:

Coriander seeds that I planted in amongst the roses and parsley sprang up happily, but almost immediately went to seed. So I have left them to it in the hope that the seeds will go forth and multiply and that new little bushes will come up with more leaves for harvesting.
What I thought was cabbage seed (from a commercial packet), has grown and flourished but is not turning into cabbage as I know it. People tell me it might be broccoli, but nothing is happening that looks like anything other than cabbage gone to seed –without the seeds.
Something is eating the Swiss chard, sorrel and sage. I spray regularly with Pyrol but that doesn’t seem to help

The Worm Factory:

After a slow start of about a month, the factory is on its way. This is the American version, with square layers that fit on top of one another and with a tea tray and tap on the lower level. It has taken some t.l.c. and nurturing but I believe the worms are happy. Worm tea is brewing, and little wrigglers are multiplying daily. I am still on my first level after two months, but I suspect that I should introduce the second level pretty soon. The factory is in my studio inside the house, is odorless, and very easy to monitor. .

I realize the need for dedicated pieces of ground for veggies so that one can do the “companion planting” thing. Therefore I cannot wait for autumn to transplant the rose bushes (6 of them) from their current sunny windless spot at the side of the house to the join all the other roses in the front garden (who manage to survive and flower in the south easter) then turn the windless area into my really serious veggie garden. In the spring I would like to try vertical/companion planting – info on which I have to pass on to all who are interested.

Thank you for a wonderful course and may all your wishes come true in 2009.